If you are amazed by the most extreme and exciting aspect of kiteboarding – big air, these events below are what you need to know. We’ve compiled the links to the replays for these events, sit back and enjoy.
Red Bull King of the Air (KOTA)
The major event that needs no introduction.
Judging criteria: 70% height, 30% extremity, plus a variaty score (of the top 3 scoring tricks). This will be the same for its satellite events (aka “Fly-To Events”) : Megaloop Challenge, Cold Hawaii Games, Cuesta del Viento.
2021 replay: https://www.redbull.com/se-en/live/king-of-the-air-2021
[trivia] In Semifinals (Heat 20), a promise was made between the two competitors…
Marc Jacobs and Liam Whaley that whoever wins the heat will go ahead and take the champion.
2020 replay: https://www.redbull.com/int-en/live/red-bull-king-of-the-air-2020-day-1
2019 replay: https://www.redbull.com/us-en/live/red-bull-king-of-the-air-2019-rewatch-day-1-action
2018 replay: https://www.redbull.com/int-en/events/red-bull-king-of-the-air-kite-beach-south-africa
Red Bull Megaloop Challenge
Only to be held over 35 knots, this event focus on one trick only: THE Megaloop.
History: https://www.redbull.com/za-en/events/red-bull-megaloop-challenge-kiteboarding-live-event/megaloop-history
2019 replay: https://www.redbull.com/int-en/events/red-bull-megaloop-2019-kiteboarding-live-event
Cold Hawaii Games
2022 replay: https://youtu.be/HemS9i5-juM
2021 replay: https://youtu.be/LvDpe9bYE7Y
Year 2021 witnessed the most epic and extreme conditions of all big air competitions of all time. Towards heat 14 the storm came and it was gusting 55-60 knots later.
Cuesta del Viento Big Air
@ San Juan, Argentina. One of Beto Gomez’s favorite spots.
2022 replay: (day 4 finals) https://youtu.be/sXgPSzjjtSE
Big Air Kite League (BAKL) World Tour
Incubator for the next generation of riders who push the Big Air disciplane like never before. Thanks for the efforts of organizers and young riders, big air kiteboarding has truely become “gymnastics on a bar, 50 meters up in the air”. Please consider support them here.
BAKL claims to hold at least 5 competitions a year: Cape Town, Lords of Tram, Full Power Tarifa, Tatajuba Fest, Gran Canaria Air Battle.
Heat scores of all past BAKL events: https://bakl.heatscoring.com/competitions.php
Lords of Tram
@ Le Barcarès, France
Tram stands for “Tramontane” that means strong north wind in the Mediterranean regions.
2022 replay: https://youtu.be/VHNj3QHF3p8
Full Power Tarifa
@ Balneario, Tarifa, Spain.
2022 replay: https://youtu.be/MwWT8cOti58
2021 replay: https://youtu.be/O-oWIrGn6U4
Tatajuba Fest
2022 replay: (final heat) https://youtu.be/yIWEoTi8c-4?t=4452
2021 replay: https://youtu.be/nH1-5Si16Eo
Gran Canaria Air Battle
2022 replay: TBC
BAKL Cape Town
2022 Final Stop replay (on Jan 2022): https://youtu.be/AM6N_sPqTOc
2021 highlights of the finals (on Feb 2021) https://youtu.be/xQqX3ZcWSmc
[spoiler alert] Heat 22 was Big Air at its finest, watch this “Heat of the year” between…
Janek Grzegorzewski, Cohan Van Dijk, and Andrea Principi
Watch it from 8:43:43, or link here https://youtu.be/AM6N_sPqTOc?t=31423
GKA World Tour
Hydrofoil Big Air 2022 replay: https://youtu.be/r3guKjF5XME
Twin tip 2022 replay: https://youtu.be/pmkgNoJDiI4
Scores: https://www.gkakiteworldtour.com/events/gka-big-air-world-championships-2022/
Understanding the Tricks
For viewers who are new to watching big air competitions, these videos will be helpful. Firstly, thanks to Kitesurf365‘s hosts Adrian Kerr and Colin Colin Carroll who brought on Jesse Richman (2020 KOTA winner) who broke down 4 most commonly-performed tricks in KOTA that you need to know:
And then we have Michael Mac Donald – the CEO of Big Air Kite League (BAKL) – explains BAKL’s scoring and trick naming methodologies below. Have a play with their sample scoring system at https://bakl.heatscoring.com/testscores/
Megaloop Kiting 